Stuck in traffic or adapt to it, what will you do?

Throughout the year more major road and rail works will be done in and around Amsterdam than ever before. Rijkswaterstaat (the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management), the Municipality of Amsterdam and ProRail will start work in various places in and around Amsterdam. The peak activities will be between May and October. The roads and railways will be even busier than usual. Almost everyone that travels to, from or through Amsterdam will experience road closures, diversions and delays. An overview of all the activities is available on amsterdambereikbaar.nl/werkzaamheden (in Dutch).

On top of the road and rail works, there are also large events in summer that will add to the busy roads and public transport. The high point of Amsterdam’s 750th year anniversary will be in June. The municipality will then hold the Festival op de Ring while a large section of the A10 will be closed. Extra traffic controls will also be done in June because of the NATO Summit in The Hague. And the SAIL event in August will also bring a lot of visitors to the city.

Let us try to limit the traffic congestion as much as we can by adapting how we travel. We ask everyone to consciously choose whether and how you travel. If you need to travel, please prepare in advance. We have listed the travel options on amsterdambereikbaar.nl/reisopties-2025 (in Dutch) and the discounts for shared transport, public transport etc.

The most important travel considerations are the following.

• Work more from home if possible.
• Travel outside rush hour, including in public transport.
• Use other forms of transport, for example bicycles, e-bikes, public transport or shared transport.
• Travel together, for example with a colleague, in one car.

To limit the disruptions for each other, it is important that everyone is aware of the work and the disruptions it will cause. There is a communications toolbox on amsterdambereikbaar.nl/toolbox-2025 (in Dutch) that can be used to inform your own network. This will help avoid unpleasant surprises and everyone will be well prepared.

Breikers, the employers’ association, can also help with customised mobility options free of charge. Check wijzijnbreikers.nl/en/free-mobility-advice/ .

Check amsterdambereikbaar.nl/kortingsacties (in Dutch) from May onwards to see the discounts. There will be discounts for shared transport in Amsterdam and for public transport.

A lot of roads, railway lines, bridges and tunnels in and around Amsterdam need maintenance work that has to be done soon. Hundreds and thousands of people use this infrastructure every day, while parts of it are in poor condition and are becoming less safe. We need to upgrade and replace them. This will mean that we will be able to use the roads and the railway safely, and can keep Amsterdam accessible in the future.

If we do not do this, the condition of the infrastructure will just get worse and worse. This may lead to potholes in the asphalt, for example, which would mean that we would have to close the road for safety reasons to carry out emergency repairs. These road closures often last longer as the labour and materials are not always immediately available.

Rijkswaterstaat is working on the biggest maintenance job ever. Every quiet traffic period is used to carry out major maintenance work and large activities are spread across several years. For example in the summer of 2024, major work was done on the A10 at the Zeeburger bridges and tunnel and on the 2nd Coen tunnel interchange. And some of the roads where work will be done this year are diversion routes for work that is planned for next year. Next year maintenance work will be done on the A44. The A4 will then be the alternative route for traffic from the A44. New asphalt is being laid on the A4 now so that the route can serve as the alternative route next year.
All traffic and other partners collaborate closely in the work and have coordinated their activities. This means that the diversion routes can stay open and that, as far as possible, the work and events succeed each other and do not overlap. Municipalities, provinces, Rijkswaterstaat, ProRail, Vervoerregio Amsterdam, NS, Breikers, GVB and a lot of other relevant entities work together.

A lot of roads, railway lines, bridges and tunnels in and around Amsterdam need maintenance work that has to be done soon. Every available quiet traffic period is used for major maintenance work. We have to work the whole summer, even if there are large events like the Festival op de Ring, SAIL and the NATO Summit that will also cause heavy traffic. The maintenance work does take these into account, for example the work on the A10 Oost and Zuid will only start after the NATO Summit.

It will be extremely busy on the roads. Travellers will incur road closures, diversions, more traffic and longer travel times. This may lead to an hour’s delay, both there and back! And definitely if you travel by car. The work on the railways will also lead to delays. Travelling by public transport will take longer.

If we can all make sure that there are 20% fewer cars on the road every day, we will limit the delays significantly. This is 1 of 5 cars and amounts to thousands of cars every day. This is why we are asking everyone to consciously choose whether and how they travel. It may mean that you sometimes decide not to travel, but to work from home. Or that you travel outside of rush hour, use another mode of transport, or travel with someone else in the car.

If you do have to travel, we can help you with clear travel information so that you can choose the best option. The information is available on amsterdambereikbaar.nl/2025 (in Dutch). The travel options for each route will be available in April onwards. You can also find special discounts for shared transport and public transport. This will help you prepare in advance.